En route to the Far North
I set off from Brittany last week and have arrived in Luxembourg with Icade right behind me, safely hitched to its trailer. Together we have covered a lot of ground—even though by heading east across France we have distanced ourselves from the Canadian Far North, we have in fact been quickly getting closer.
As soon as we arrived at the airport, the teams at Cargolux, our expedition partner based in Luxembourg, set about preparing Solarboat for the next leg of its journey to Calgary in Canada. I must confess that I needlessly worried about this delicate phase—each team member was both careful and professional.
Once all of that got settled, I was finally able to breathe a little easier. After spending the past few weeks trying to make up time which was slipping through my fingers, this momentary calm was most welcome and allowed me to look back with some emotion at all that had already been accomplished.
I understand that for many of you, the adventure only begins after the launch when the crossing gets underway, but for me and all those who have worked alongside me, this voyage started a long time ago, almost three years now. And yes, it has been a long-term endeavour which we accomplished together, an amazing human adventure—everyone involved contributed their skills, knowledge, experience, in addition to that indispensable spark which every project needs.
Updates will be coming soon… In the meantime, you can consult the map of our route on the homepage (by scrolling down) or under the heading “Expedition”, subheading “Real-time position”. Throughout my journey across the Northwest Passage, Icade’s position will be updated every 12 hours.
Follow along at: http://anne-quemere.com/en/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/expeditionarcticsolar/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/expeditionarcticsolar/
The Solarboat Icade
A SOLAR PROPULSION PROTOTYPE
RENEWABLE ENERGIES AMBASSADOR
RENEWABLE ENERGIES AMBASSADOR
At the outset, the Solarboat was a 6 meter long prototype, built to cross the Pacific Ocean, powered by kites. The challenge was realized in 2011 from Peru to French Polynesia.
There was an ambition to give a new life to this “avant-garde” boat, far from having said it’s last word. The experts consulted were unanimous (Marée Haute shipyard in Trégunc, CSEM in Neuchatel, Torqeedo in Germany) and all agreed that the proposed changes would suffice to make her a performing new solar prototype. Their knowledge in various technical fields performed wonders, and the first trials were very successful.
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